Garden Railway Forum

The main brands (JR/Futaba/Hitec) and many others have the positive wire in the middle.

And those type of plugs can sometimes be inserted upside down which would put the signal (yellow) wire on the wrong pin.

What servos are you using (brand and number)? Do you have pictures of the wiring (particularly the servo leads)? The first thing I would check, if there is absolutely no response, is that the servo is plugged in correctly; just because the plug fits doesn't necessarily mean the plug is the correct w...

Another option that can be employed is programmable servos. For example, it looks like the Roundhouse models use Hitec 81 type servos. There is a digital equivalent (5087MG?) where you can programme the direction and end points directly into the servo. One benefit of this, with simpler receivers lik...

Look what I've found :D I genuinely can't believe it. I don't actually have the kit yet (it is at my parent's house), so I don't know if it uses the same boiler jacket, but did you paint the boiler itself? If so what did you use to paint it (and the smokebox)? Many thanks, thumbnail_20220520_142029....

I'm getting closer to starting to bolt things together (at last). The frames and cab floor are primed; I've been told that the Scalecoat paint is finally getting ready to be boxed and shipped so, hopefully, that will arrive soon. I have used the Brass Black on the lubricator. I'm not sure how durabl...

Thanks for your reply. I will be setting the end points of the reverser servo so that it isn't possible to overdrive the servo and burn it out, so the toggle switch versus rotary dial doesn't concern me from that perspective. I hadn't even realised that there was any position that the reverser could...

I have a lot of experience with RC but none with steam locos. I was a little surprised when I started looking that the main offerings for locos appear to all be based on the Deltang products. I’ve been looking at these and am leaning towards a system from Micron, but have a couple of questions: 1) T...

Unbelievably, I have managed to find one

The new cab front has arrived, although the box looks a bit big. It almost looks big enough to have a Katie kit in it :shock: I have removed the old cab front and soldered on the replacement. I'm a little disappointed as it's not as tidy as it was before, but it will do. Roundhouse confirmed that th...

After a week's holiday in the UK, I am back at it. One benefit of being in the UK is that I managed to get some parts that aren't available in the US. My favourite, are these steps from SwiftSixteen, which are so much better than the fold out part of the cabin floor that forms the steps on the kit. ...

That’s all great info.

Thanks very much for all of the replies.

It is the physical appearance of the track that I am currently considering. This is only from what I have seen, but in some of the photos of 32m track, the sleepers etc are barely visible so all you see is 2 tiny lines of the actual rail. Most of the 45mm layouts I have seen are quite substantial in...

I’m trying to decide on 32mm or 45mm. I had decided on 32mm but now I’m not so sure. One of my reasons for 32mm was that some of the layout photos I have seen show a fairly inconspicuous presence in the garden. 45mm layouts look to be more intrusive. Is this a fair comment or does it depend on how t...

Thanks very much. I’m new to this so maybe I am looking for the obvious, but many of the websites don’t appear to be crystal clear with the details. What would help me is the following: 1) List of what is included. 2) List of any options. 3) Picture(s) of the completed item (ideally behind/next to a...

I am progressing with my Billy kit and I’m now starting to look at rolling stock. I will probably get another Roundhouse kit and have one with wagons and the other with coaches. I’ve been looking back through this thread to find options for coaches, and have found some really nice ones, with good re...

Thanks for the reply. It might not be clear in the photo (and it might not entirely guard against what you are saying), but I have made little hangers that poke through the top of the box and the buffers weren’t at the back/bottom when they were being sprayed. I didn’t have any problem getting the p...

This isn't my first time spraying, but I usually paint composites so metal is all new to me! I started by making a small spray booth out of cardboard box (the one that the loco was delivered in :D ) with a drop sheet plastic insert. The buffer beams were sanded with 500 grit wet and dry, then cleane...

The build has stalled for the time being. Surprisingly, considering my previous dealings with them, Roundhouse hasn't yet replied to my request to buy a replacement cab front. And Minuteman might as well be on another planet so I still have no idea if/when my paint might arrive. I did order some lit...

I think I’ve discovered where I went wrong, from looking at photos on internet (and you can just about see the solution on the Roundhouse photo, from the back, posted above). It looks like the hinges aren’t supposed to be flush with the inside of the cab walls; they need to ‘float’. This will keep t...

Quote from the instructions: 'The hinge has slotted holes to allow for adjustment of the roof position. After tightening into position, file away any excess thread'. Only 2 pages later (in the section about the tank support) does it say, 'the nuts on the inside should be left slightly loose to allow...